Show us your Pugbashes, Nellieboshes, Desmondifications, Jintysteins

[Firecrest]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

Now you just need to build a paper mill for her to shunt about in.

 

Ironically I've just purchased a load of industrial kits - a paper mill was not in there - I feel some scratchbuilding coming on

 

[Ben B]

That's very characterful!  Could imagine that on somewhere like the Cleobury Mortimer-Ditton Priors branch, working ammunition trains.  That or lose the weathering, add a cowcatcher and a Davy Crockett tender and pretend Triang were trying to do a cheapo Wild West loco

[john new]

The more of these Nellie tweaking jobs I see the more I like it as a loco and wish Hornby would bring it back into the range. 

[RJS1977]

1 hour ago, john new said:

The more of these Nellie tweaking jobs I see the more I like it as a loco and wish Hornby would bring it back into the range. 

 

Unfortunately probably no longer possible after the last management scrapped most of Hornby's old tooling :-(

[Firecrest]

1 hour ago, john new said:

The more of these Nellie tweaking jobs I see the more I like it as a loco and wish Hornby would bring it back into the range. 

Couldn’t agree more, it’s the ideal first loco for a child as well (I think) and has so much charm! I couldn’t pass it up for a couple of quid and felt so sorry for it I had to rescue it.  Story of my life really -  I keep seeing wrecks on market stalls and rescuing them. Next up is a Triang-Hornby Hall I grabbed for a fiver... wish me luck

[Firecrest]

5 minutes ago, RJS1977 said:

 

Unfortunately probably no longer possible after the last management scrapped most of Hornby's old tooling :-(

Was the tooling worn out or just a new broom philosophy? Seems a waste 

[BSW01]

7 minutes ago, Firecrest said:

Was the tooling worn out or just a new broom philosophy? Seems a waste 

The new management didn't have a model railway background and didn't know what they were. They just saw shelves holding lots of lumps of metal and so scrapped them! 

[RJS1977]

7 minutes ago, Firecrest said:

Was the tooling worn out or just a new broom philosophy? Seems a waste 

 

I think a combination of 'new broom' philosophy and a clear-out prior to the short-lived move to Sandwich.

 

Certainly when Simon Kohler returned to Hornby, he was shocked to find out what had happened as he had plans to reintroduce a number of 'classic' items to the range.

[Northmoor]

48 minutes ago, BSW01 said:

The new management didn't have a model railway background and didn't know what they were. They just saw shelves holding lots of lumps of metal and so scrapped them! 

Never underestimate the ability of a group of well-qualified and well-paid people to, just like anyone else, make really stupid decisions.

[Gibbo675]

6 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Never underestimate the ability of a group of well-qualified and well-paid people to, just like anyone else, make really stupid decisions.

Hi Northmoor,

 

It just proves that there is no qualification for common sense !

 

Gibbo.

[Ben B]

Agree with all the above regarding the old toolings, but I gather the Nellie/Polly etc tooling had already been destroyed. When Hornby changed the 4 wheel chassis and motor design the Nellie body would no longer fit, so the body was modified to take a push-along chassis as a cheapy kids toy loco. Pretty sure it's mentioned in a Pat Hammond book.

 

It's a shame, as it's a nice little loco, and a reintroduced one (or a dock shunter) would have been nice for the anniversary year. I doubt anything like it would be done now, the market wouldn't be there for a freelance, basic toy loco. At least we can be grateful we still have the Holden, Smokey Joe, D tank and 06 as the spiritual successors

[009 micro modeller]

Not sure if this is relevant in this context, but I was speaking to somebody from Minitrains a few years ago who said that, even if the old Eggerbahn tooling was in a good enough condition to use (it wasn’t), they wouldn’t have been able to use it anyway as it was not compatible with the new machines on which it would have to be run. So potentially some of the oldest of the Hornby moulds may be in the same position (though obviously there is a lot of older stuff still reissued by Hornby).

[RJS1977]

On 17/12/2020 at 06:46, Ben B said:

Agree with all the above regarding the old toolings, but I gather the Nellie/Polly etc tooling had already been destroyed. When Hornby changed the 4 wheel chassis and motor design the Nellie body would no longer fit, so the body was modified to take a push-along chassis as a cheapy kids toy loco. Pretty sure it's mentioned in a Pat Hammond book.

 

It's a shame, as it's a nice little loco, and a reintroduced one (or a dock shunter) would have been nice for the anniversary year. I doubt anything like it would be done now, the market wouldn't be there for a freelance, basic toy loco. At least we can be grateful we still have the Holden, Smokey Joe, D tank and 06 as the spiritual successors

 

It would have been the new chassis itself that didn't fit, rather than the motor, as some of the later Nellies also had the Scalextric motor fitted.

 

With regards to whether the market would be there for a freelance basic toy loco - I'm not sure that many purchasers of the Holden, Smokey Joe or D tank purchase them because they are based on known prototypes - although of course, it's a bonus.  I don't think most purchasers of the Holden are modelling Swindon Works or the Highworth branch in the period 1902-1910.... And of course it's been available in a wide range of fictional liveries and identities over the years.

 

More of the issue is that there probably isn't enough of a market there to tool up to add a completely new model to the 'toy' end of the range.  The Holden etc have long since paid off their tooling costs, and there's no evidence that adding a new loco to the range would spark a fresh surge in sales to cover its development costs.

 

As to 'spiritual successor' - yes, and no. Whilst I have a very soft spot for the Holden tank (having been my first 'proper' loco on my 5th birthday), it is very crudely and cheaply constructed compared to 'Nellie'. My father's Nellie has done something like 60 years' service with no more attention than the usual oil, wheel cleaning and a fresh pair of brushes from time to time.

 

By contrast, my 101 stripped its drive gear after around half that time, necessitating a whole new chassis!

[relaxinghobby]

 

 

 

Does this count a pugbash ? It's a tender rather than a loco but it has parts of the Airfix pug in it.

 

It's a shunting tender based on a glimps of one in a photo of an Australian shunting and sorting yard.

 

Main components are an old Bachmann USA sloped backed tender with the centre cut out the ends glued back together to make a shorty 4 wheeler. I rides on an Airfix Truro front bogie with it's outside springs.

 

The roof is from the pug and the rear spectacle plate is also pug. Various details from here and there.

 

I seem to be having a bad camera day, I can't set the light levels and have just wiped it's  memory card.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by relaxinghobby
Kerning

[Flying Fox 34F]

Hello,

 

I’ve been reading through this thread and I’m tempted to have a bash.  Anyway, whilst perusing Ebay, I found this lot;
 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-00-Gauge-Collectors-Club-Tank-0-4-0Ts-Choose-your-loco-/324368637571

 

Thought it might be of use.

 

Merry Christmas to you all

 

Paul

[Firecrest]

Well following on from Merlin’s progress (see above) I have taken receipt of this sad specimen. She’s best described as playworn and is fitted with an XO3 motor that apparently doesn’t work... while not wishing to become a repository for sad Nellies, I couldn’t pass this one up. You’ll all be relieved to know I only had one spark arresting chimney too. 
 

On a different note - while the name has been selected on a suitably Arthurian note - I am open to constructive colour suggestions. Tartan and sky blue pink are not an option... wish me luck! I’ll keep progress updated in here as and when... 

[Firecrest]

[RJS1977]

9 hours ago, Firecrest said:

 

On a different note - while the name has been selected on a suitably Arthurian note - I am open to constructive colour suggestions. Tartan and sky blue pink are not an option... 

 

Why not? I know someone who sells tins of tartan paint, £5 + postage.... ;-)

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by RJS1977

[Firecrest]

14 minutes ago, RJS1977 said:

 

Why not? I know someone who sells tins of tartan paint, £5 + postage.... ;-)

 

Do they offer a long weight as well? 

[RJS1977]

Reminds me of an incident at my club some years ago. I was in the process of 'bashing' a Dapol L&Y Pug into a Bagnall fireless loco(!) and was sliding the original loco weight into the new steam tank (the weight was a little shorter than the tank, which caused it to rattle a little) when one of our younger members came up and asked me what I was doing.

 

"I'm putting this weight in here but it's not long enough. Go over and ask [another member] to give you a long weight."

 

Unfortunately I picked the wrong person to send him to, as not only did the youngest member not know what I was up to, neither did the other member!  All the others did though....

Edited December 24, 2020 by RJS1977

[Gibbo675]

8 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

Reminds me of an incident at my club some years ago. i was in the process of 'bashing' a Dapol L&Y Pug into a Bagnall fireless loco(!) and was sliding the original loco weight into the new steam tank (the weight was a little shorter than the tank, which caused it to rattle a little) when one of our younger members came up and asked me what I was doing.

 

"I'm putting this weight in here but it's not long enough. Go over and ask [another member] to give you a long weight."

 

Unfortunately I picked the wrong person to send him to, as not only did the youngest member know what I was up to, neither did the other member!  All the others did though....

Hi RJS,

 

I was once had an apprentice present him self and ask me for a long stand. I told him to go back to whoever had sent him to me and tell him that he was to have short sit down and then get on with his work. He looked very perplexed when I told him that.

 

Gibbo.

[Firecrest]

On 22/12/2020 at 11:58, Firecrest said:

Well following on from Merlin’s progress (see above) I have taken receipt of this sad specimen. She’s best described as playworn and is fitted with an XO3 motor that apparently doesn’t work... while not wishing to become a repository for sad Nellies, I couldn’t pass this one up. You’ll all be relieved to know I only had one spark arresting chimney too. 
 

On a different note - while the name has been selected on a suitably Arthurian note - I am open to constructive colour suggestions. Tartan and sky blue pink are not an option... wish me luck! I’ll keep progress updated in here as and when... 

 

Just a small update... having tried Polly (for it is she... year unknown) out on the trusty H&M Clipper, there was an awful lot of smoke and some wonderful glowing from the motor. A quick look, followed by a thorough strip down of what turned out to be the oiliest and dirtiest XO3 I have ever seen, and a resoldering of the pickup wire from the wheels and Polly roared into life with that amazing Triang smell. So, the prime mover is well and truly in good fettle again...

 

On an aside, this has to be the oiliest engine I've ever seen. Every single part was liberally covered in some kind of lubricant - it even seeped from behind the buffer heads when they were removed - a quick spin of the motor and the inside of the body is covered in it again. Not entirely sure how to get rid of all of it, or just to let it work itself out... maybe a good trip on the rolling road?

 

Body wise, the scalpel awaits. I'm just amassing the parts - most I have but need a new smokebox dart, spectacle glasses and grilles, and safety valve. However, various Airfix/Dornoplas/Mainline/Parkside and Grafar products need completing first, and then there's that poor neglected Triang-Hornby Hall sat in the waiting room... watch this space!

[Compound2632]

52 minutes ago, Firecrest said:

that amazing Triang smell.

 

To the model railway enthusiast, what the Madeleine was to Proust.

Edited December 24, 2020 by Compound2632

[AdamsRadial]

On 24/12/2020 at 10:26, Firecrest said:

Not entirely sure how to get rid of all of it, or just to let it work itself out... maybe a good trip on the rolling road?

I've had success using switch-cleaner spray on a similar case, an N2 that had the motor and brushes drenched in oil

[AdamsRadial]

On 24/12/2020 at 10:26, Firecrest said:

that amazing Triang smell.

Got dragged off to have lunch before I could fully answer the post, I think (but have no easy way of proving it) the smell is Ozone.

 

The other nostalgic memory is of the dry-cleaning fluid we used to use to clean the track, "Thawpit", otherwise known as Carbon-TetraChloride. I loved the smell of it.

Edited December 25, 2020 by AdamsRadial
typo